Notes / Commercial Description:
The Oktoberfest or Marzen (March) type of beer was originally brewed in March, and laid down in caves before the summer weather rendered brewing impossible. Stocks would be drawn upon heavily during the summer, and exhausted by October.

In Germany, this tradition has come to be associated with one specific style, Oktoberfest Bier. In keeping with true German tradition, August Schell Oktoberfest beer is brewed just once a year. Brewed with the perfect balance of Pale, Munich, and Cara Pils malt with Liberty and Perle hops to create a rich, smooth taste.

Reviews by EvilKeith:

Schell Octoberfest poured a crystal clear bourbon-like copper color. The head began as a fluffy finger of off-white foam, but fell to a quarter inch cap. The lacing was spotty, but hung around for a while.
The smell had green apple fruitiness, a light graininess, faint malty sweetness, and a subtle grassiness from the hops. The taste followed the scent pretty well with the fruity flavors coming to the forefront and mild hop bitterness.
The body was medium-light with a moderate carbonation. I found this offering from Schell to be both flavorful and drinkable. I will gladly drink the rest of the six pack and keep an eye out for this one again next year.

Thin eggshell head falls in seconds into this old copper colored beer without any lacing. Smells like old hey. Here we go.

Biscuity beginning to a slight metallic taste for a big 'ol mouthfull of wet cardboard. Just like the Firebrick I am left asking where's the bitter? Just like the Firebrick I kinda get why they would do that. Thicker mouthfeel.

I am sure I have made this beer sound very nasty, its actually not that bad. I could have a few.

Pours a clear, dark amber with a creamy, slightly off-white head and a fair amount of lacing.
The aroma is bread and caramel with a hint of spice.
Taste is bready and spicy with a bit of caramel and a nicely crisp and bitter finish that leaves a bit of lingering spice on the tongue.
Mouthfeel is medium and almost creamy.
An outstanding American example of a Marzen. Well-crafted, flavorful and refreshing.

Appearance: Fairly bright copper-orange with thin off-white head and some lacing lines.

Smell: Semi-sweet dark fruit, cherry, toast and biscuit.

Taste: Fairly sweet caramel and fruit, with some toasted malt and biscuit undertones that become a little more apparent as it warms. There is a light spicy hop counterbalance, but does not do much to combat the malt sweetness.

Feel: Moderate carbonation, medium body, only a lightly dry finish (more so when it warms).

Drinkability: Pretty nice overall, but not dry or "biscuity" enough to be a great Marzen. Still, highly drinkable as an everyday, lighter Marzen.

12oz brown bottle,served into my SA glass.
Slightly hazed,medium amber color with a 1" creamy off-white head, dissapating quickly into a thin coating of foam. Well carbinated with quick lively releasing of bubbles and some stringing from the sides of the glass.

Appearance is a clear, deep amber-orange with a lacy off-white head. Aroma has a wonderful flowery yet a bit spicy noble hop nose, some bread dough, and a nose-wrinkling whiff of sulfur. No matter, though, because the taste is absolutely delicious. Perfect bready-toasty malt balancing wonderfully with noble hop flavor and bitterness. What I love about this O-fest is that it's medium mouthfeel finishes very crisp and a bit dry which makes it extremely thirst quenching. It's so good I find myself pounding back a few wtih ease. This is my favorite O-fest of all time even over the German examples because of it's freshness. I would like to assume that this is how good the Germans drink their O-fest in Munich instead of the imported, stale versions we get sometimes.

Appearance: Bright and lively amber orange with lots of rising bubbles. Big four finger off white head with good retention and a decent amount of lacing around the glass.

Smell: Aroma is very forward with sweet pale and Pils malts. Very bready with lots of caramel and wheat grains. Hints of citrus hops with some orange. Smells pretty biscuity and sweet.

Taste: Starts with a burst of sweet pale and Pils malts with caramel that is lightly toasted. Hints of orange citrus come through towards the finish. A solid presence of hops adds some balancing bitterness in the finish. Very malty but nicely balanced overall.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Very crisp and smooth. Slightly chewy and dry.

Overall: A pretty good lager. Could of been a little bolder with the overall flavor and spice for a Marzen. Pretty well balanced.

Attractive -- clear reddish amber, nice darker yellow head of 1/2 inch. Aroma of yeast and slight spice. Malt is a little off, it warbles in first impression, first, full but flavorless, then, a little candy but quick to assume a watery and slightly vinegary quality. Some hops at the finish. This brew is hurt by the up front profile and could use a little more body.

August Schell beers never made me form a tear in my beer, they are usually well constructed go to everyday drinking beers perfect for New Ulm, MN. Celebrating their 150th Annivesary let's try this year's Oktoberfest style lager, pretty amazing 1860 to 2010. Pours a bright caramel amber hue with a large bright white head forms fine speckled lacing down the sides of my glass. Aroma brings out some nice caramel and bready biscuit malt tones a bit of spicy hops but not much. Flavor brings on sweet caramel notes very bright sugary tones without enough hop balance, but it's a drinkable tasty offering just lacks the deliver or finesse of the great German style brewers out there. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied but sugars can become a bit cloying in number with this version of an Oktoberfest, something that should never become an issue with this style. Drinkability was still alright but not a by the case type of beer it was worth a try and I can appreciate it but give me a Paulaner, Hacker Pschorr or Penn version by the case.

This one pours a deep amber, almost copper, with brownish highlights. The head retains pretty well and leaves some thin lacing around.
There's a light caramel malt in here and some grains.
The caramel malt is most evident with a bready grains backing. There's a very light hops presence and perhaps some dark fruits lurking.
There's a moderate to slightly heavy carbonation adding to a really crisp feel in a light to perhaps medium body.